Honda's Rincon site says it has a 3 speed tranny. Does that mean it has only three "gears" like a 3 speed auto in a car? Or is it more like 3 ranges, like the D1 and D2 on the Rubicon? Or is there a High/Low range subtransmission besides the 3 speeds? I'm confused. Anyone know for sure?

 

I wonder why Honda felt the need to develop another style of automatic tranny for atv use? I have heard of very few problems with the hondamatic on the Rubicon. It would seem to me that since the Rubicon tranny is continuosly variable that it would be superior to a three speed auto as used in the Rincon. Perhaps the three speed with torque converter is more efficient.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

 

As of right now I'm not real impressed with the Rincon. As as owner of a Rubicon the decision to develop a new tranny bothers me. Why are they getting away from the Hondamatic? I think thats the best feature of the Rubicon. And why only three speeds? That would seem to really limit any gain the larger engine would provide. I was really hoping Honda would come out with a 650 twin cylinder, hondamatic, with IRS. Well, they got one out of three and I'm going to remain spectical. I have a hunch the Rincon is just a reaction to the market so they don't get completely left behind.

 

I can remember when Honda used the Hondamatic on some of there factory motocross bikes.(early 80's ?). They had won a national championship in Japan using the automatic, but when they let the American riders try them on U.S. tracks, the riders felt the automatic made the bikes performance somewhat sluggish in comparison to the manual shift bikes. This was particularly bad for the all important starts, especialy in the Supercross races. As far as I remember all the factory riders eventually opted for the manual shift bikes.

Since the Rincon seems to be trying to achieve more of a sport type performance, its the only reason I can see for not using the Hondamatic from the Ruby. I guess the big 650 will have enough torque and power to make the three speed automatic work, I doubt a 400 cc machine would.

 

I don't buy that. I remember reading that the Hondamatic was almost 90% efficient in power transfer. It certainly gets power to the ground quicker than any belt-type tranny I've ridden. Plus, it locks into 5 preset gear ratios for shifting through the ESP. I can understand why you would the more sporty feel of a geared tranny, but then why only three speeds? That's more like a 70's Buick than a S2000.

Anyway, maybe when they release more info my questions will be answered. For now, I'm just a little irritated at Honda.

 

I agree with you, with the Hondamatics ability to go into manual shift mode and shift between five different ratios, it does deliver the best of both worlds. I can only think of three reasons Honda would not use it on the Rincon, cost to manufacture, reliability, or less efficient than the three speed auto with torque converter.

 

Thanks for the responses, guys. Maybe the Rincon won't be the bike for me, since I'm looking more for a hard working utility bike. This Rincon maybe too sport oriented for me. I really like the Ruby and its transmission, but it could use a little more power for big mud tires and trailer towing. I was hoping they would drop the 650 in the Ruby, maybe add a locking front diff, and I'd have my perfect quad. Oh well, I'll keep searching and waiting. There's always the Griz or Kawi, but after owning a Polaris, I'm not sure I want another belt drive. I'll have to give them time to prove themselves.

 

My local honda dealer said that the rubicon tranny would not fit in the rincon.

 

I suppose I should give Honda's engineers the benefit of the doubt. They put a lot of thought and testing into their products before releasing them. I'm sure the Rincon will be a winner. But like YukonRon, I don't know if it will be for me. But I would trade my Rubicon for one with 2wd/4wd option in a heart beat!

 

Now come on guys. Lets not knock or build this quad up too much before it is released. So far we don't really know anything about it. We have only heard from the marketing department. We will have facts in about 6 months.

Having said that, and not being a Honda loyalist, I am sure it will be a very good machine. If it truely comes out with a auto like 3 speed, I think it will be far better than the hondamatic or any of the belt systems.

Now I don't have any experiance with the hondamatic so what I am about to say may be wrong. If I am wrong, some one please correct me. What I am about to say is true for the belt systems.

The hondamatic has 2 modes of operation, manual and auto (with 2 auto ranges), the belt systems have one, auto. If you are in the auto mode, the motor will have a fixed rpm for a given speed. In other words, if you are going 25mph the engine will be turning a give rpm (maybe 3000 rpm?). This relationship doesn't vary with load, if your pulling a trailor thru the mud vs on a paved road. With the trans thats discribed for the rincon, pulling a trailor thru mud at 25mph, you may be in second gear turning 4000 rpm. On the other side of the mud hole the torque converter will slip less so you may be turning 3200 rpm but still in 2nd. On a paved road pulling nothing, you may be in 3rd turning 2000 rpm. If you are in manual mode, the hondamatic will still have a fixed speed to rpm ratio for a given gear. The rincon will not because of the torque converter.